Passion and Purpose: An exclusive conversation with leading women's cancer experts

Did you know that 75 Australian women are diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancer every day?

Breast cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer among Australian women, with around 21,000 cases expected in 2024 alone, while gynaecological cancers are also on the rise. Sadly, one-third of those diagnosed will not survive their disease, and many women still face delayed diagnoses due to a lack of awareness and the stigma surrounding sensitive women’s health issues. However, new research efforts give great hope for a better future.

This UQ Giving Day, join our panel of women’s health experts as they break down the stigma surrounding these cancers. Our experts will discuss the latest advances in early detection, treatment for recurring cancers, and how education and self-advocacy are key in overcoming the barriers that still exist.

Please join us for an uplifting event to celebrate and promote the incredible impact of women’s cancer research.

Our expert panel

Professor Marina Reeves

Deputy Associate Dean Research & Deputy Associate Dean Research (Researcher Development)

Marina Reeves is a Professor in the School of Public Health and Deputy Associate Dean Research (Researcher Development) in the Faculty of Medicine. She is also an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and in 2021 was awarded the Dietitians Australia Barbara Chester Award for her leadership in dietetics in Queensland. Her program of research is focused on the role of diet, physical activity, and weight/body composition in improving outcomes and quality of life for women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Prof Reeves and her team have recently been awarded a $2M MRFF Rare Cancers Rare Diseases and Unmet Need grant to conduct a Queensland-wide phase III trial of an exercise and dietary intervention to improve the quality of life of women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (2022-2027).

Associate Professor Fiona Simpson

Principal Research Fellow

Associate Professor Fiona Simpson leads the Cancer therapy group at UQ’s Frazer Institute. Their team works at the intersection of many fields of science, using cell biology to improve targeted therapy and immunotherapy against cancer. Their research focuses on the temporary inhibition of endocytosis to improve responses to monoclonal antibody therapies and reversal of this inhibition to improve toxin payload delivery to tumours. We are also the scientific leads of clinical trials of combination therapy approaches we have discovered and work closely with surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, medicinal chemists, nuclear medicine professional and pharmacologists to translate basic scientific findings to better outcomes for cancer patients.

Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed

Principal Research Fellow

Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed holds a PhD in molecular biology from The University of Queensland and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists Australasia. Her early postdoctoral work, part of a Cancer Research UK program, focused on the genetics of colorectal cancer. Now at UQ’s Centre for Clinical Research, she leads studies on the genomics of breast cancer, particularly Metaplastic breast cancer and Invasive Lobular Carcinoma. She also leads the MRFF-funded Q-IMPROvE project, exploring the role of Whole Genome Sequencing in breast cancer care. Amy is passionate about clinical research, biobanking, and precision oncology.

Ms Venessa Behan

Trial Manager

Vanessa Behan is a Clinical Trial Manager at Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer. She responsible for the management and operation of gynaecological oncology studies including the ENDO 3 Trial.

Vanessa is a Registered Nurse and received her Bachelor degree in Nursing in 1997. She has been working within the Gynaecological field since 1998 and has always been passionate about women’s health.

Professor Carlos Salomon Gallo

NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow

Professor Carlos Salomon is a NHMRC Investigator Fellow (EL2), and Group Leader of the Exosome Biology Laboratory at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research. He is a globally recognised expert in extracellular vesicles, ranked 3rd worldwide and 1st in Australia on Expertscape for "Extracellular Vesicles and Exosomes." With over 140 publications and 8,000+ citations in the last seven years, Professor Salomon has made significant contributions to EV biology with diagnostic and therapeutic implications. His research focuses on biomarker discovery, particularly in ovarian cancers and obstetrical syndromes, and translating these findings into clinical applications. He has also played a leadership role in establishing the Centre for Clinical Diagnostics and developed a team at UQCCR to explore the clinical utility of extracellular vesicles as liquid biopsies and therapeutics.